Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-07-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.


where il II not needed by the acuoI
Of Secretary Fairchild on Saturday
The secretary telegraphed to all as
sistant treasurers ordering the pay
ment of July interest. checks anC
coupons upon presentation Most OF
the interest checks for this quarter
have already been mailed TO the per
sons 10 whom they are due The re-
naming ones viii be sent early in the
week. The result OF this step viii
1 put in circulation about 50, 200, 600.
/ When the secretary Of the treasury
4 on a former occasion took similar &C
ton, his authority for so doing was
/ questioned. but then as now, q na-
/ tional necessity must make the law.
/ Secretary Fairchild. however, states
/ that the interest was not anticipated
on account Of any financial apprehen-
sion by the government but as the
checks were made out. the sending
Of them few days before the first of
July would cause no inconvenience at
the department and would tend TO re-
assure the public.
\ party Of japanese officials, and
their interpreter. have arrived in
Washington and viii remain q month
or two. Their purpose Is 10 careful
4 " study the workings Of several
/ branches Of our government. Chiefly
! the subject Of finance. The person
Of most Importance in the party is s
high officer in the financial depart
ment of the japanese government.
/ They have taken 4 comfortable site
Of apartments in q house on the
heights Of Georgetown.
The large pension paid to the blind
beggar of Elmira. y. Y. turns out
TO be a bogus claim. Special agents
Of the pension office have already
succeeded in tracking the parties who
conspired to defraud the government,
and in tracing the money so that the
| United States viii lose but little OF
the original Sl3. 900. The old blind
man will also lose but little, as he prob
ably saw but little OF the money IL
the first place, but he may have to 90
to the penitentiary for having been
the ignorant tool Of the lot of sharp
ers who got the case through. Tn
doubtedly he viii be more comfort
able in the penitentiary than he was
on the street begging with his dog.
There Is a growing belief here that
an extra session Of congress in Octo-
Der i an assured fact. Speaker Carl
isle i reported as having said that an
extra session of congress is a neces-
sity- But it Is not safe to put much
faith in reported sayings Of Speaker
Carlisle. a he i generally very non
committal.
4 rumOr was current here on Sat
urday that Secretary Endicott had
rendered his resignation on account
Of the battle-tiag episode. but at the
white house the rumor was denied
Washington Is always full of rumor-
even in the duIlest season. Some
times they mature into great events,
but oftener fade into thin air.
The secretaries Of the local civil
service boards, met the civil service
commissioners. according to agree
ment in this city on the 9th. inst
Several important questions were dis
cussed, and several amendments t
existing rules recommended. Oh
these, the one suggesting the discon-
continuance Of the forty-fve year linn
itation. IS 10 the age Of clerks viii bt
almost universally endorsed by the
public. Most men and women are a
the height Of their capacities at the
age Of forty-fve 1t Is to be hoped
that this discussion viii result In the
beneficial result Of separating the
chafT from the wheat Of civil service
examinations. There Is undoubtedly
much good in the system. but 1t /.
not necessary TO waste too much time
IN experiments. but TO learn the les
son taught by experience as quickly
as possible. and exclude such ques-
tons as the following immediately
without further demonstration OF
their folly: "A man bought twenty
lead pencils for four cents for one
pencil he gave two cents. for three be
gave half a cent. and for one he gave
4 quarter Of a cent: what did he give
for the others :" Draw a straight
line westward from the state OF
Maine to the Pacific Ocean. and name
the states. mountains, lakes and riv-
ers. you would cross" Pencils are
cheap, but they viii never be cheap
enough to demonstrate the utility OF
the first question. and the second i
impracticable as it would involve the
personal tour across the continent,
which it is natural to suppose an ap-
plicant for position under civil ser
vice rules has not the means TO un-
deItake. or he would not be before
the board for a $500 probationary
place
The president met Mrs. Cleveland
at the depot on Saturday morning Al
nine O'Clock. Mrs. Cleveland arrived
in the best Of health and spirits &C.
eompanied by Col Lamont She ex-
pressed herself enthusiastically Over
her visit TO her friends In New York
She probably viii accompany the